I'm trying to track down the date of a concert The Beatles did at the Plaza Ballroom in Handsworth 1962. The concerts the Beatles did on the Regan's Ballroom circuit in 1963 are well documented but not the 1962. I've seen talk of a concert they did at the Ritz Ballroom in Kings Heath in 1962 and its most likely they would have played the Plaza on the same day.

So I'm looking for anyone who knows the date or rough date that took place. I know the Beatles were in Coventry, Smethwick and West Brom in Nov 1962 but don't know he dates of the Ritz and Plaza gigs. They looked to have had a very back to back schedule during those days but it was not unknown for them to be in Liverpool doing a show in the day and in another part of the country in the evening.

A friend of mine went to the Plaza gig in '62 but can't remember the date and even has autographs from that night but it would be great to put an exact to near date on them.

Cheers I know all the 1963 dates that they were in Birmingham. They did the Ballroom circuit (Plaza, Ritz and Old Hill Ballrooms) as well as the Town Hall (with Roy Orbison) and Hippodrome (with Chris Montez & Tommy Roe) plus the Thank Your Lucky Stars show in January.

What I'm after though is the dates they did gigs at the Ritz Ballroom in Kings Heath and Plaza Ballroom in Handsworth in 1962. I know it was after Ringo joined in August and also after "Love Me Do" was released so I think the gigs must have been either in late October or in November. I know they were also back in Hamburg during November and late December too.

These two Birmingham shows in 1962 seem to not be documented well at all - at least online - and by the accounts I've read and had first hand they were not very well attended either.

philspil I was at the Plaza Handsworth to see Mike Berry but fairly late in the evening, the second act, The Beatles performed. It was all a bit of a rush to get on (think they had been somewhere else beforehand) Definitely November 1962. Definitely not too many people there. in fact everyone stopped dancing to watch them. A memorable night (still crow about it now). Saw the Beatles before they became the icons that we all love. First time I'd ever heard of them was that night. Remember Lennon sang Anna off their first album. You could see they were very good. Sorry, don't have the actual date, but I know it was November.

Cheers for the info. It was a friend of mine who attended and was reaching out to see if anyone else was there. Both the gig at the Plaza and at the Ritz in 1962 are not well documented at all. The Regan's who owned those venues quite often booked people into to play two of their venues on the same day so the chances are they played the Ritz in Kings Heath in the afternoon and the Plaza in the evening. My friend remembers them arriving in a battered van and carrying there own stuff in. He asked them for autographs so they invited him in. He got lots of autographs from all four of them and then McCartney invited him to stay for the soundcheck. he said no he had to get off and then left and returned for the gig later. Sounds odd today but at that point they'd only just released Love Me Do a month or so before and were just a band from Liverpool. My friend had heard of them as he collected every NME, Sounds and Melody maker then so new all the bands even the new ones. Looking at documented gigs it could have only really been in November and I know they did some other midlands gigs in that month. Would just be nice to have exact date but I'm even amazed that someone else out of so few attendees even saw this post.

Philspil, I've been giving this some thought and we used to go to the Plaza fairly regularly on Wednesday and Saturday nights. My late wife (who was my girlfriend at the time) had a birthday on November 4th, which in 1962 was on a Sunday. I am sure from memory that the night we saw The Beatles was a weekday. I have checked the Beatles itinerary and noticed that on Wednesday 7th November, they are recorded at visiting the Granada Studios. This would make it possible for them to do the Ritz and the Plaza on the same day (perhaps) As you say, there is no record of this, but, I think November 7th 1962 is favourite.

According to the Beatles Bible they were in Germany at the start of November.

beatlesbible.com/history/5

In the Birmingham mail article they were trying to track down people who were at the Ritz gig but I know they were at the Plaza also. Neither gig seem to be documented and even the Mail failed to put a date to it. My friend who went recalls Love Me Do had not long been released and I also know they were in Tile Hill, Coventry on the 17th Nov 62 and in Smethwick and West Brom on the 19th. The guide above shows every date accounted for but something must be wrong as the gigs took place in 1962.

Makes sense as they were in the midlands on the 19th. Shows recorded in Smethwick and West Brom on that day. In the Brum Mail report it talks about a gig at the Ritz but my friend is sure he went to Handsworth. What is the site you got that info from?